Over hyped. Review on Catcher in the Rye, The - Salinger

This is one of the most over hyped books I have read. The only reason why I picked up this book was the hype surrounding it.

The book is very small and one can finish it really fast. The story is nothing great, its about a teenager boy who is utterly depressed in life. This book is about any teenager, in general, who wants to complete control over his/her life, who is a rebel, who picks up bad habits because of friends. You get the picture, right?

The writing is pathetic. The author, Salinger, loves the word 'phony' so much that you can see this word atleast ten times on every page! The langauge is very American, with American specific phrases and words peppered all over.

The character is two dimensional, the only thing one knows about the character is that he is depressed.

Average story, average writing, average book. The only thing I liked about this book is when the author justifies the title 'Catcher in the rye.'

I didn't like this book probably because I am not American. I have heard this from people that one can't appreciate the book or the language of the book if one is not American. I don't know how much of that is true. But, this book is definitely over hyped. The only factor that boosted the book's sale is that it was found in the hands of the assassin while he assassinated the US President.

If you have time, read this book. If you don't read it, you are not missing a thing.